Every child care center in the United States operates under a license issued by its state — or, in a few cases, a county. There is no federal daycare license. What the federal government sets, through the Child Care and Development Fund (45 CFR Part 98, Subpart E), is a floor: eleven health and safety topics every state must cover, a minimum inspection schedule, and a background-check standard for every staff member. Each state writes its own code on top of that floor — which is why your fee, renewal cycle, inspection frequency, and director qualifications all depend on where your center sits.
Find your state’s agency, and what we have verified about its cost and renewal cycle, below.
Our detailed center guides cover California, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.
State licensing directory
| State | Licensing agency | Cost | Renewal cycle | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Dept. of Human Resources, Child Care Services Division | — | — | State agency → |
| Alaska | Dept. of Health and Social Services, Div. of Public Assistance, Child Care Program Office | — | — | State agency → |
| Arizona | Arizona Dept. of Health Services, Child Care Facilities Licensing | — | — | State agency → |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Dept. of Education, Div. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Early Childhood | — | — | State agency → |
| California | California Dept. of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, Child Care Program Office | $484–$2,420 by capacity (HSC 1596.803) | Non-expiring; annual fee on license anniversary | State agency → |
| Colorado | Colorado Dept. of Early Childhood | — | — | State agency → |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Office of Early Childhood | — | — | State agency → |
| Delaware | Delaware Dept. of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing | — | — | State agency → |
| District of Columbia | Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning | — | — | State agency → |
| Florida | Florida Dept. of Children and Families, Office of Child Care Regulation | $1/child; min $25, max $100 (F.S. 402.315(3)) | Annual (F.S. 402.308(1)) | State agency → |
| Georgia | Bright From the Start, Georgia Dept. of Early Care and Learning | — | — | State agency → |
| Hawaii | Dept. of Human Services, Benefit, Employment, and Support Services Division, Child Care Licensing Program | — | — | State agency → |
| Idaho | Idaho Dept. of Health & Welfare | — | — | State agency → |
| Illinois | Illinois Dept. of Early Childhood | — | — | State agency → |
| Indiana | Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning | — | — | State agency → |
| Iowa | Iowa Dept. of Health & Human Services | — | — | State agency → |
| Kansas | Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment, Child Care Licensing Program | — | — | State agency → |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Division of Child Care | — | — | State agency → |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Dept. of Education | — | — | State agency → |
| Maine | Maine Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services, Children’s Licensing and Investigation Unit | — | — | State agency → |
| Maryland | Maryland State Dept. of Education, Division Early Childhood, Office of Child Care Licensing Branch | — | — | State agency → |
| Massachusetts | Dept. of Early Education and Care | — | — | State agency → |
| Michigan | Dept. of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, Child Care Licensing Bureau | — | — | State agency → |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Dept. of Children, Youth, and Families | — | — | State agency → |
| Mississippi | Mississippi State Dept. of Health, Child Care Facilities Licensure Branch | — | — | State agency → |
| Missouri | Missouri Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Childhood | — | — | State agency → |
| Montana | Dept. of Public Health and Human Services, Early Childhood and Family Support Division, Early Childhood Services Bureau | — | — | State agency → |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Dept. of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit | — | — | State agency → |
| Nevada | Division of Social Services, Child Care Licensing | — | — | State agency → |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Dept. of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing Unit | — | — | State agency → |
| New Jersey | State of New Jersey Dept. of Children and Families, Office of Licensing | — | — | State agency → |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Dept. | — | — | State agency → |
| New York | Office of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Care Services | — | — | State agency → |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Dept. of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education | — | — | State agency → |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Dept. of Health & Human Services, Early Childhood Services | — | — | State agency → |
| Ohio | Ohio Dept. of Children and Youth | — | — | State agency → |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Dept. of Human Services, Child Care Services | — | — | State agency → |
| Oregon | Oregon Dept. of Early Learning and Care | — | — | State agency → |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Dept. of Human Services, Office of Child Care and Early Learning | No fee (55 Pa. Code 20.42(b)) | Up to 12 months (55 Pa. Code 3270.11(e)) | State agency → |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Dept. of Human Services, Office of Child Care | — | — | State agency → |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Dept. of Social Services, Division of Early Care and Education | — | — | State agency → |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Dept. of Social Services, Child Care Services | — | — | State agency → |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Dept. of Human Services, Child Care Services | — | — | State agency → |
| Texas | Texas Health and Human Services, Child Care Regulation | $35 application + $35 initial; annual $35 + $1/capacity | Every 2 years (26 TAC 745.473) | State agency → |
| Utah | Utah Dept. of Health, Division of Licensing and Background Checks | — | — | State agency → |
| Vermont | Agency of Human Services, Dept. for Children and Families, Child Development Division | — | — | State agency → |
| Virginia | Virginia Dept. of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing | — | — | State agency → |
| Washington | Washington State Dept. of Children, Youth and Families | — | — | State agency → |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Dept. of Human Services, Bureau for Family Assistance | — | — | State agency → |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Dept. of Children and Families | — | — | State agency → |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Dept. of Family Services | — | — | State agency → |
Agency names and URLs are from the ACF National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations (licensingregulations.acf.hhs.gov). Cost and renewal columns are filled only for states verified against primary statute or rule.
Who licenses daycares — and why every state is different
Child care licensing is a state function. The federal government does not issue, deny, or revoke child care licenses; “daycare licensing requirements” means the requirements of one of the fifty state agencies — or, in a handful of states, a county agency — that issues the license. Federal law reaches licensing only indirectly, through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF): a state that accepts CCDF money, as every state does, must certify that its licensing meets the minimums at 45 CFR Part 98, Subpart E (§§ 98.41–98.43).
What federal law requires (45 CFR 98.41–98.43)
Every state’s licensing standards must address at least eleven health and safety topics (45 CFR 98.41(a)(1)):
- Prevention and control of infectious diseases, including immunizations
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and safe sleep practices
- Administration of medication, consistent with parental-consent standards
- Prevention and response to food and allergic-reaction emergencies
- Building and premises safety, including hazards, bodies of water, and vehicular traffic
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, and child maltreatment
- Emergency preparedness and response planning (evacuation, lockdown, drills, family reunification, continuity of operations)
- Handling and storage of hazardous materials and disposal of biocontaminants
- Appropriate precautions in transporting children, if applicable
- Pediatric first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect
Three more federal conditions sit alongside that list. Each state must set standards for group size, child-to-caregiver ratios, and caregiver qualifications (45 CFR 98.41(d)); run at least one pre-licensure inspection and at least one annual unannounced inspection for health, safety, and fire compliance (45 CFR 98.42(b)(2)(i)); and clear every staff member through a multi-component background check (45 CFR 98.43(b)), detailed below.
Why a neighboring state’s rules do not apply to you
The federal floor explains why state codes rhyme — the same eleven topics appear everywhere — but not why they would match. They do not. Each state writes its own statute and code on top of the floor, setting its own fees, renewal cycles, inspection frequencies, director qualifications, and enforcement structure. A license from one state does not transfer to another.
When do you actually need a license?
Every state sets a threshold at which a child care operation must be licensed — usually a minimum number of children, sometimes combined with a minimum number of operating hours.
| State | Minimum number of children | Minimum hours |
|---|---|---|
| California | Not specified | Operates more than 1 day per week for more than 4 hours on that 1 day |
| Florida | More than 5 | Not specified |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | Not specified |
| Texas | 7 | Not specified |
These are center thresholds only; family child care homes have their own, lower thresholds in every state. Your state’s exact trigger is in its licensing code and the state guide linked above.
Common exemptions, and home-based care
States commonly exempt specific categories — programs run by religious organizations, part-day programs below a set number of hours, school-age-only programs, and seasonal day camps frequently appear — but whether any applies turns on your state’s exact language. And if you care for a few children in a home, you may fall below the center threshold yet still need a separate family child care license or registration. Your state agency can tell you which category you are in.
What does it cost to get a daycare license?
There is no meaningful national average. Among the four states where we verified every fee line, the range runs from $0 (Pennsylvania) to $2,420 (California, for 121 or more children), and the structures are not comparable: some charge a flat fee, some per child by licensed capacity, some by capacity band. In the 2017 Child Care Licensing Study — the most recent national fee collection — 35 of 51 jurisdictions charged a fee: 12 flat, 23 per-child, 4 other.
Worked examples: California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania
California uses capacity bands. The application fee and annual fee for a day care center, set in Health & Safety Code § 1596.803(a)(1):
| Licensed capacity | Application fee | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| 1–30 | $484 | $242 |
| 31–60 | $968 | $484 |
| 61–75 | $1,210 | $605 |
| 76–90 | $1,452 | $726 |
| 91–120 | $1,936 | $968 |
| 121+ | $2,420 | $1,210 |
California also charges a $50 orientation fee (HSC § 1596.803(b)(1)(D)), and all fees are nonrefundable (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22 § 101187).
Texas charges a flat fee plus a per-capacity annual charge: $35 application, $35 initial license, and an annual $35 plus $1 per child of licensed capacity, due on the anniversary of full-permit issuance. Background checks are $2 each.
Florida charges $1 per child of licensed capacity, with a $25 minimum and $100 maximum per facility (§ 402.315(3), F.S.). DCF licenses 63 of the state’s 67 counties; Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas, and Sarasota run their own local programs.
Pennsylvania charges no licensing fee: centers are not listed in the fee schedule at 55 Pa. Code § 20.42(a), and § 20.42(b) waives the fee for unlisted facilities.
The fees nobody quotes you: relocation, capacity change, late payment
The application fee is only the beginning. California publishes several fees that apply to operating centers:
| Fee | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Facility relocation | 50% of the application fee | HSC § 1596.803(b)(1)(B)…(A) |
| Capacity change | $25 | HSC § 1596.803(b)(1)(C) |
| Late annual fee | +50% of the annual fee | HSC § 1596.803(b)(1)(F) |
| Plan-of-correction not implemented by due date | $200 | HSC § 1596.803(b)(1)(H) |
Other states set their own additional fee schedules, covered in each state guide.
How long does it take?
Of the four states we verified, only Texas publishes a statutory processing timeline; California, Florida, and Pennsylvania commit to none. Texas must issue or deny within two months of accepting an application, and issue a compliance certificate within 30 days (TX HHS Handbook §3410, citing 26 TAC § 745.321). The initial Texas license then runs six months and converts to a full license after at least three months of maintained compliance (Handbook §§ 3531, 3531.1, citing 26 TAC §§ 745.351, 745.497).
In practice the timeline is set less by agency processing speed than by how fast you can be ready for the pre-licensure inspection, which federal law requires before any license issues and no state can waive (45 CFR 98.42(b)(2)(i)(A)). Your facility, staffing, documentation, and background checks drive that date.
What are the requirements to get licensed?
The federal core is the eleven health and safety topics listed above (45 CFR 98.41(a)(1)); your state may add to them but cannot subtract. Pennsylvania’s pre-service training requirement, for example, tracks these eleven topics nearly verbatim (55 Pa. Code § 3270.11).
Background checks: what the check covers, and the 45-day clock
Every child care staff member must pass a background check that includes, at minimum (45 CFR 98.43(b)):
- An FBI fingerprint check using Next Generation Identification
- A search of the National Crime Information Center’s National Sex Offender Registry
- In the state of residence and each state of residence for the preceding five years: the state criminal registry or repository, the state sex offender registry, and the state child abuse and neglect registry
“Staff member” is broad: anyone employed for compensation (including contract and self-employed individuals), anyone whose activities involve the care or supervision of children or unsupervised access to them, and any resident of a family child care home aged 18 or older (45 CFR 98.43(a)(2)(ii)).
The state must complete the check within 45 days of receiving the request (45 CFR 98.43(e)(1)); checks repeat at least every five years for existing staff (45 CFR 98.43(d)(2)(ii)); and state fees may not exceed the actual cost of processing (45 CFR 98.43(f)). A new check is not required if the person had a qualifying check within five years while working for, or seeking work with, another provider in the same state and has not been out of child care employment for more than 180 consecutive days (45 CFR 98.43(d)(3)).
The provisional-hire rule that lets you staff up while checks clear
A prospective staff member may begin work after a qualifying result on either the FBI fingerprint check or the resident-state criminal registry check, provided they are supervised at all times until every component clears (45 CFR 98.43(d)(4)). It is a practical staffing lever: you need not wait for the full multi-state check before someone starts in the classroom, as long as they are directly supervised.
What are the requirements to be a daycare director?
All 50 states set preservice qualifications for center directors, but the bar is not always a college degree — in some states a state director credential satisfies it. The minimum varies widely:
| State | Minimum preservice qualification for a center director |
|---|---|
| California | 12 semester units in early childhood, 3 semester units in administration, and 4 years of experience |
| Florida | State director credential |
| Pennsylvania | Associate’s degree with 30 credits in ECE, child development, special education, elementary education, or the human services field, and 4 years of experience |
| Texas | State director credential, 6 credits in business management, and 2 years of experience |
Two of these four — Florida and Texas — accept a state credential rather than a degree; California requires college coursework but not a degree; only Pennsylvania requires one (an associate’s). So yes, you can direct a center without a degree in some states — check your state’s rule through the guide linked above.
What does licensing look for in an inspection?
How often you will be inspected
The federal condition is at least one annual unannounced inspection for health, safety, and fire compliance (45 CFR 98.42(b)(2)(i)(B)); most states meet or exceed it, but check yours.
- Texas inspects at least every six months in the first year of the full license, then at least annually on a risk assessment; all minimum standards must be reviewed within twelve months, core health and safety standards annually (26 TAC § 745.8401).
- Florida inspects licensed child care facilities at least three times per year (agency policy; § 402.311, F.S. grants entry and inspection at reasonable times during regular business hours but sets no frequency in statute).
- Pennsylvania conducts at least one unannounced on-site inspection annually (55 Pa. Code § 3270.24).
- California requires an annual unannounced inspection of at least 30 percent of facilities by random sampling, with a floor of once every three years; centers on probation, under a compliance plan, with a pending accusation, or under an exclusion order are inspected annually (HSC § 1597.09(b)–(d)).
Based on the 2017 Child Care Licensing Study, the distribution of routine inspection schedules across 51 licensing jurisdictions was:
| Inspection frequency | Number of jurisdictions |
|---|---|
| More than 3 times per year | 3 |
| 3 times per year | 3 |
| 2 times per year | 16 |
| 1 time per year | 27 |
| Every 2 years | 2 |
| Every 3 years | 1 |
| Other | 6 |
States must also require providers to report any serious injuries or deaths of children occurring in child care (45 CFR 98.42(b)(4)). Inspection results themselves are held by the licensing agency and, in most states, published in a searchable database; your state guide covers where yours appears.
How does license renewal work?
There is no standard renewal cycle. Among the four states we verified:
- California issues non-expiring licenses; after initial licensure, an annual fee is charged on each anniversary of the effective date (HSC § 1596.803(a)(1)).
- Texas renews on the second anniversary of the full permit and every two years thereafter; the window opens 60 days before the anniversary date, with a 30-day late renewal period after it (26 TAC § 745.473).
- Florida requires annual renewal, with the renewal form filed at least 45 days before the current license expires (§ 402.308(1), F.S.; Fla. Admin. Code r. 65C-22.001).
- Pennsylvania issues certificates of compliance for a period not to exceed 12 months (55 Pa. Code § 3270.11(e)).
Based on the 2017 Child Care Licensing Study, the distribution of renewal cycles across 51 jurisdictions was:
| Renewal cycle | Number of jurisdictions |
|---|---|
| Annual | 20 |
| Every 2 years | 15 |
| Every 3 years | 7 |
| Non-expiring | 8 |
| Other | 2 |
Renewal is not automatic. Florida must re-examine the facility and its records before renewing (§ 402.308, F.S.), and Pennsylvania’s 12-month limit forces a compliance assessment before each new certificate (55 Pa. Code § 3270.11(e)). A failed background check can block renewal outright: Florida cannot issue or renew if any child care personnel have failed required screening (§ 402.308, F.S.), and because checks repeat at least every five years for existing staff (45 CFR 98.43(d)(2)(ii)), a failure years after hire can stop your renewal.
Violations, corrections, and enforcement
When an inspector cites a violation, the pattern is generally the same: the agency issues a citation or notice of noncompliance, the facility submits and implements a plan of correction within a set timeframe, and the agency re-inspects. In California, a plan of correction not implemented by its due date triggers a $200 fee (HSC § 1596.803(b)(1)(H)).
Repeated or serious violations can escalate beyond correction plans to formal enforcement — probation, license suspension, revocation, or civil penalties — with the escalation path and appeal rights set in each state’s administrative code. In California, centers on probation or with a pending accusation move to annual inspection rather than the sampling schedule (HSC § 1597.09(c)–(d)).
Adding a second site
A license attaches to a specific facility at a specific address, so a second site needs its own license regardless of your record at the first — its own application, pre-licensure inspection, and fee. Your operator experience may smooth the review, but the physical site starts from zero: the new facility must pass its own health, safety, and fire inspection before a license can issue (45 CFR 98.42(b)(2)(i)(A)). Staff need their own background checks unless they qualify for the same-state, 180-day portability described above (45 CFR 98.43(d)(3)).
If you are expanding capacity at your current site rather than opening a new one, your state has a process for amending your license: in California a capacity change costs $25 (HSC § 1596.803(b)(1)(C)) and a relocation costs 50 percent of the application fee (HSC § 1596.803(b)(1)(B)…(A)). Other states set their own amendment processes and fees.
The records side of licensing
Licensing is a records problem before it is a compliance problem. The hardest part of staying licensed is rarely knowing the rules — it is keeping the paperwork that proves you follow them. Renewal packets need enrollment and attendance records that reconcile with your licensed capacity. Background-check clearance dates are a payroll record: they set when a new hire can work unsupervised, when the five-year recheck is due, and whether your renewal clears. A capacity change moves not just your ratio but your fee, your revenue model, and your insurance.
The operators who struggle at renewal are almost never running unsafe programs. They are the ones whose books and rosters disagree — enrollment says one number, billing says another, the licensing file says a third. That gap is a bookkeeping problem, not a compliance one.
Find your state
Return to the state licensing directory →
Tactivus does bookkeeping and managed finance for preschools and child care centers. If the records side of licensing is the part that takes more of your time than it should, we are happy to talk.
Sources and as-of dates
Federal and national
- 45 CFR Part 98, Subpart E, §§ 98.40–98.44 — eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-98/subpart-E
- ACF National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations. https://licensingregulations.acf.hhs.gov/ — Facility Requirements dataset (as of 2023-12-31, some topics 2025-12-31); Agency Policies & Practices dataset (2017 Child Care Licensing Study).
California
- Cal. Health & Safety Code § 1596.803 (fee schedule) — last substantive fee-table amendment Stats. 2014, Ch. 29.
- Cal. Health & Safety Code § 1597.09 (inspections) — amended Stats. 2019, Ch. 27 (SB 80), effective 2019-06-27.
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22 § 101187 (licensing fees; defers to HSC 1596.803).
Texas
- TX HHS Child Care Regulation Handbook §5200 “Fees” — Revision 25-3, effective 2025-08-15.
- TX HHS Handbook §§ 3410, 3421, 3511.1, 3531, 3531.1, 3900, 4131, 4131.3 — Revision 25-2, effective 2025-07-01 unless noted.
- 26 TAC §§ 745.321, 745.347, 745.351, 745.473, 745.497, 745.501–745.521, 745.8401; 746.1001, 746.1003, 746.1011. Human Resources Code §§ 42.054, 42.056(c).
Florida
- § 402.308, F.S. (annual license, renewal, re-examination).
- § 402.311, F.S. (inspection authority; sets no frequency).
- § 402.315(3), F.S. (license fees).
- Fla. Admin. Code r. 65C-22.001 (45-day renewal filing).
- FL DCF, “About Child Care Licensure” (63/67 counties; chs. 65C-20, 65C-22, 65C-25) and “Frequently Asked Questions Specific to Child Care Licensing” (three inspections per year — agency policy).
Pennsylvania
- 55 Pa. Code § 3270.11 (certificate of compliance, orientation, pre-service training, 12-month duration).
- 55 Pa. Code § 3270.24 (inspections).
- 55 Pa. Code § 20.42 (fee schedule; no fee for unlisted facilities).
This article was last reconciled against all cited sources on 2026-08-25.